Australia - My first week.

View of Sydney from the plane.

Getting off the plane on Thursday in Sydney I immediately felt that I had 4 layers on too many. I was welcomed by a wave of heat. Finally.

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Then I got to Brisbane. Melissa was waiting for me as I exited the airport in a total torrential down-pour. As I piled into the car with my bike and bags, Mel looked at me, thanked me for bringing the rain as requested and asked, how you feeling?  Up for squad training at the pool. My response was of course but think we can get a coffee? And so I hit the ground running. Five kilometers long-course before I finally found some sleep. 

The next 3 days brought incredible rain – over 600mm of it actually. There was incredible flooding throughout Brisbane and cyclones with winds up to 100km/hr. I was worried about every tree being knocked down in the forest. I had to shake my head that I had come half way across the world and I was still inside on the Computrainer! At least I know it was quality work. On Saturday Mel was determined to get in a longish ride. Off we went at 6 am into the rain. It was not pouring at this point but over the course of 5 hours we had so much rain that my hands pruned up. As we neared the top of a mountain with winds sweeping us almost off the road and rain coming down so hard it felt like pellets hitting me, Mel said that there was only three more kilometers to the lookout. I looked at her thinking are you for real? We couldn't see our hands in front of our face at this point. We made it to the lookout and the views I am sure are stunning. 

Since then the weather has improved and I have found the heat and sun that I knew existed here in Australia. I have been trying to keep up with Mel as she zips up and down the hills of Brisbane on the bike. Riding my beloved Shiv here is not ideal as there is rarely a moment where you don't need to be changing gears. The city amazes me as one minute you are amidst tons of traffic and then the next in a tropical forest that hums with insects and cawing birds. I even saw a kangaroo! 

And so training is going well. I am still trying to find my groove but will get there. Just have to get lost a few times along the way I think.